ABOUT MAX LYONGA

Max Lyonga Sako is a painter originating from the south west province of Cameroon , where he lives and works.

In the first, he started with figurative art, then he met some German tourists practicing abstract painting and this became a dominant aspect of his artistic career. This event caused his work and style to evolve and become a mixture of figurative and abstract painting. He is seduced by mix techniques of paintings, stickers or collage with items he finds in his neighborhood. His inspiration comes from social life events, environment, intimacy and emotions.

Passionate in his art, untiring and engulfed by perfection, he never misses any appropriate occasion for his progress in his domain. He gets his artistic training in the training workshops in French cultural centers of the country.

Organization of workshops is also one of his interests. In this light, he worked with AFC (Alliance Franco- Camerounaise) of Buea (his home town), SONARA school of Limbe for two years, nursery school of Dominique Savio of Douala and the American School of Douala . In addition, he had a workshop with 8 street children from Yaoundé, students from the Hope station of Carlisle , Pennsylvania , when he had been invited by the Dickinson College .

Exhibition being an essential aspect for an artist for him to be known and why not to earn his living, Max has collective as well as individual exhibitions. Collective wise, he exhibited with other artists in the various French cultural centers of the country, Amberess Gallery of Antwerp with the street kids, The Last Picture Show in Cameroon and in the Maison De l'UNESCO of Paris, and The World Bank. Individually, he exhibited in GTZ head quarters of Yaoundé, The French Cultural center of Douala , The Good year gallery and Dickinson college in Pennsylvania State .

He participated in national competitions of plastic art: FENAC (National Festival of Art and Culture) with that of December 2002 that owed him a silver distinction. One of his paintings has been offered to the national museum of Yaoundé-Efonda Melome-for the posterity in May 2003.On December of the same year, he presented a board that was sold on auction sale in a gala night in favour of children affected by AIDS. An initiative of the Belgian Technical Cooperation gave him the opportunity to work with some selected 8 street kids of Yaoundé. They were able to express their feelings on a board about what they understood of the 8 millennium goals. Those works were exhibited in Yaoundé and Douala , then in Antwerp and Brussels .

His major exhibitions are in Cameroon , France , USA , Lebanon , Germany and Belgium .

Max Lyonga Sako is happily married and a father of two kids.